Customer Reviews

CDN DTQ450X ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

As a Chef I demand only the best products to work with, and this is by far the best pocket thermometer I have ever used! I love that it doesn't take me 20 seconds standing over my roasts, steaks, burgers, etc. to get a fast, accurate reading, cause I honestly don't have time for that in a busy kitchen.

At first glance:
The thermometer is exactly as described by the manufacturer. The response time on this thermometer is honestly the best I've had the pleasure of using... in fact I'm pretty well convinced that it even matches the speed of those very large ones with the attached probe on a wire (now granted if you pay $300+ dollars you can get one that will give you the fastest most accurate read but for the money, best deal here)

I especially love the finer pointed tip on this thermometer that goes quickly, and easily into any protein that I need, no matter how tough, or thin the product is I get a perfect reading fast, so I'm never tied up waiting 30 seconds to get an accurate read out of my regular dial thermometer which you have to make sure you keep calibrated correctly, or the cheaper digital thermometers that just take longer (and the fact they have a much larger tip that DOES NOT like to go into products easily)... for a few extra bucks, SERIOUSLY BUY THIS!

The extra temperature range of this thermometer is also quite handy, if even for some reason i have to check the temperature of my deep fryer its still capable of handling, extra kudos for that.

And yes, it is waterproof, I have tested it. (again, extra kudos for that too)


Downsides (i think definitely outweigh the sheer advantages this product has over the competition)

-The large read out is great, not entirely that necessary to be that large though, or so i thought, kinda gets knocked around a bit, but the shatter proof design of the product compensates.
-The sheath that the thermometer comes in holds it great, and at that would never ever slide out, problem with that design is the clip on the plastic holder doesn't hold tight to any clothing that you clip it too.. i find it actually useless (in fact I'm using a sheath from a prior thermometer)
-I have experienced a couple quirky problems but those totally corrected themselves with the proper re-seating of the battery, the waterproof design is a little tricky to get right.

So the downsides were the only reason this received a four star review and not a five, but its honestly the best thermometer I have ever used, and I've used them all.

I hope you find this review helpful in your search for a great product, I HIGHLY recommend this product to ANYONE, weather a professional in a busy kitchen to someone at home that enjoys cooking and hates the big ol' metal ones that Gramma used for her turkeys, and wants to take the guess work out of cooking. This is a great product and I am Greatly satisfied with my purchase.
Thank You for reading.

This is the new version of the CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer, which is very well reviewed on Amazon. That model (DTQ450) has been discontinued and replaced with this model (DTQ450X). This is the first quick-read thermometer I've owned for cooking. If you don't have a quick-read, I highly recommend it. Traditional thermometers can take up to a minute to read temperature. This CDN model provides a temperature reading within about 2-3 seconds. That is extremely convenient compared to a traditional thermometer. The form factor is fairly nice. The thermometer is small (6.5" long), and the readout is not too big, maybe a little larger than a quarter. The buttons are easy to press and the readout is easy to view. The stem is made of stainless steel and it feels fairly solidly built. It can be switched between metric and English units as well.

When actually using the thermometer, don't stick the entire stem into your food like I did for a week. It will give you an inaccurate reading. Just place the very tip of the stem in your food about 1/2" in and it will read. The only possible problem I can see with this is that you might not be able to check the temperature in the very middle of your food if you have a thick piece of meat.

Length: 6.5"
Temperature range: -40 to 350F
Instant Read: <3 seconds.
Cleaning: Just wipe clean with damp cloth. Comes with a case to protect the stem.
Special Features: Shatterproof; auto-off option (cuts off automatically after 10 minutes)

UPDATE: 24 Dec 2011 - Two years and hundreds of dishes later and this thermometer still works, however the case it comes in has expanded or loosened up and no longer fits, which is disappointing. It is still one of my most used kitchen items.

I bought this primarily for homebrewing, where a difference of 5 degrees F can make a large difference in results. I compared it side-by-side with my trusty old Taylor thermometer. The CDN reads quickly and accurately, and the huge digital fonts are easy on the eyes. The fact that the temp stays on the thermometer after measurement makes it easy to record the temperatures on my brewsheet. I'll keep my Taylor as a backup, but this is now my go-to thermometer of choice. Excellent value for the price.

I bought this to replace the CDN ProAccurate I dropped and broke. The tip on the previous model was covered in a thin epoxy that chipped off when the thermometer hit the floor tip first. The new one is metal to the tip making it better protected but slightly slower than the original. This inexpensive instant-read thermometer gives a close reading in just a couple of seconds and a very accurate reading a few seconds later. I wanted something that I could check steaks and roasts without burning my hands over an outdoor grill. For roasts in the oven I use a thermometer that stays in the meat and sends the signal to a unit outside the oven. I highly recommend this little unit unless you have bucks to burn and want something faster. The best one on the market that I've found is used by Alton Brown on his show and sells for about $80. This CDN model is about 80% as good at 20% of the price. By the way, after I knew this one was coming, I cleaned up the tip of the old one and put a thin layer of epoxy on the tip. Now I have two and like both of them very much. The two readings are identical in a glass of hot water.

For the price, this thermometer is excellent. We purchased this based on the Cook's Illustrated recommendation because their review process is impeccable. It's one of the best kitchen purchases I've ever made for the price. I used this every time I cook or grill meat and it's incredibly fast and reliable. This works great on any cut of beef, chicken or pork and its easy to maintain.

I recalibrate about once every six months, but so far it's been dead on every time. With constant use (about 3-4 times a week for 2 years), that's impressive.

I'd highly recommend this, hands down.

I had a Taylor digital thermometer, but I found that I kept forgetting to turn it off, so it went through batteries too fast. I finally dropped one in a drink, and it died. I replaced it with a glass/alcohol thermometer, and while that had none of the problems of the Taylor, it was ungainly, delicate, and it required a large hole (I want one in my kettle, and I didn't want to drill a larger hole). I switched to a Taylor dial thermometer, but that was a disaster--it needed calibration every time I left it in a hot drink for more than a minute, and steam condensed inside the dial cover. This CDN works great. It's far more waterproof than the Taylors, it doesn't drift, it reads fast, it's accurate and precise, it turns itself off after a few minutes. Good stuff.

After calibrating this thermometer (twice), it consistently reads about five degrees higher than the actual temperature. Using that information, I made a roast and aimed for a reading five degrees above what I wanted. The results were perfect. If you want perfect accuracy, this item is not for you. If you want something merely consistent enough to get the job done, this is good enough.

I searched around for a thermometer to meet my food-temping needs. I chose this particular one for the proclaimed durability and washability. I use my thermometer every day, and love being able to clean it easily and knowing it's okay to get it wet. The stainless steel is a great look, and after dropping it a couple times it still looks and works like new. Durability and washability proven! I'm sorry to say, however, I have a couple complaints. The holder/sheath became useless after literally just one day. Whatever they put inside the plastic hollow tube holder to keep the thermometer in place must have become dislodged and lost because the thermometer no longer stays in place, but free-floats and slides right out. I stopped using the holder for this reason, and due to the high durability, I decided it would be safe in my apron pocket. A good idea in theory, but the design of the thermometer and weight of the stainless steel makes for a very top heavy product, causing the thermometer to want to "jump" out of the apron pocket. A solution for this would be to store the thermometer "pointy side up" in my apron pocket, but just that thought alone causes me to wince, as I think that would hold greater potential for poking injuries. I hear some of you naysayers chuckling, but I'm honestly trying to be serious here... (Picture the thermometer upside down in your front apron pocket, and you bend down or bend over to pick something off the floor.) I would still recommend this thermometer, however, as durability and washability are tops in my book!!

I had bad experiences with this thermometer and also with the silver CDN version. They were more then 10 deg. F off target (compared to ice water, boiling water, lab thermometers) and would *not* calibrate successfully. Junk in my experience.

I own the earlier model of this thermometer with a red tip and have been thoroughly pleased. Upon receiving this new model, the temperature unit button did not work and it was only measuring temperature in Centigrade. I called CDN; they apologized, immediately sent me a new one, and told me to throw out the damaged thermometer. They said that overall the new model is quite an improvement and customer feedback has been excellent but occasionally, as with any product, there is a lemon. The entire phone transaction was about 30 seconds.